The Way It Hurts
by epic.is.what.i.aim.for
Summary: Troy and Sharpay's strained marriage unravels as bitter words bounce back and forth between them. Have their ties finally been broken? How will it all end? How did it begin?
1. Part 1

**The Way It Hurts**

"Sharpay, where the heck have you been?" She drops her bag on the dining room table, casually making her way. She makes eye contact with her husband and shrugs.

"You had me worried—why didn't you call?"

"I didn't think I needed to. Do you want a copy of my daily itinerary?" She shakes her head jokingly and throws her pink jacket on the couch.

"Well, you _are_ my wife. It'd be nice to least know where you are and not have to wonder if you're wandering the streets alone at night."

"_Your _wife—what, like you _own_ me? Thanks but I can take care of myself."

"We're a couple—we're supposed to make decisions together. Maybe I would've liked to join you _wherever_ you were."

"Oh, you wanted to join the girls for a night out. I guess I didn't realize you wore the skirt in the family. Are you doing the dishes for me now? Did you make a nice warm meal for me? I'm so sorry I missed it." Her voice dripped of sarcasm: a biting venom she tasted on her tongue as spit it into the air between them.

"What the _heck_? What makes you think you can talk to me like that?"

"What makes you think you can treat me like a child—like I have a curfew for Pete's sake!"

"I'm not—I just—God, Shar, I love you! Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Oh, is that why you married me? Sometimes I wonder—"

"I sure as _heck_ didn't do it for the money!" Her retort catches in her throat for a moment. She stares hard at his angry smile, hoping to burn it off his face. His expression remains frozen on his face.

"Don't—don't even _go_ there! My career—my career," the salvia thickens in her mouth as the tears well up in her eyes, "is not over. This is just a rough patch."

"And we can still afford dinner at the most expensive places in New York? You can still afford girls night out?" She says nothing in response. It's as if her tongue is glued to bottom of her mouth. Her eyes are overflowing now.

"I don't care if you get a freakin' job ever again!" He shrugs wildly and walks through an archway into the kitchen area. Her head snaps up furiously.

"_What?_ What does that mean?"

"I never did care about your stupid career."

"Why not?" The heat turning her cheeks red is drying up her tears rapidly.

"Who cares? You don't the need the money," he yanks open the fridge and pulls out a casserole dish covered with aluminum foil.

"Just like you don't need this meal I cooked; who needs leftovers, huh?" He rips off the foil and bangs the dish on the side of the trash can until all the food has fallen out.

She shivers at the emotion he's displaying; she jumps every time he hits the can. Then he walks across the kitchen to the sink, holding the dish over it.

"Who needs dishes, right?" He drops the casserole dish, letting the glass shatter against the hard empty sink.

The chills running up Sharpay's spine release more tears. She holds her hand over her mouth protectively.

Troy pulls a couple of china plates out of cupboard and raises them high above the sink.

"No, Troy, don't! Please," Sharpay screams. She is sobbing now.

"Why not?" He is still holding the plates up, but she is unable to respond. She tries to shake her head but her whole body is shaking instead.

"Say it," he taunts. Her legs are unable to hold her up. She is bending over in emotional agony. She keeps shaking her head but cannot make a verbal response.

His arms grow tired and he places the plates safely on the counter. He does not walk _to_ his wife to comfort her but _past_ her to leave her.

"I'm out," he shouts as he snatches his jacket from the coat rack and opens the front door.

Sharpay, who is crumpled in the kitchen, turns to ask where he is going, what he is leaving, if he's coming back, but he slams the door behind him before the words come out.


	2. Part 2

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to -xGuiltyxPleasure- for giving me a lovely review that made my day! Sorry this chapter isn't longer but if I push myself, my writing just gets lazy (trust me you wouldn't want to read _that_!)**

**-ElisabethBennetUndiscovered-**

* * *

After Sharpay climbed into bed, the hours seemed to drag by slower than usual. Her body ached for sleep but her mind wouldn't have it. She did not toss and turn. Instead she lay still on her back, chewing her fingers feverishly.

Meanwhile Troy stood on the blacktop, bouncing his basketball. Bending his knees, he threw the ball into the net perfectly. He felt drained of emotion, completely empty inside.

As he sprinted to grab the rebound, he wondered why he had been able to make the shot. The first time had to have been a fluke but three times more?

In the past when Troy would have a relationship problem, his game suffered. Now that his marriage—the love of his life—was hanging on the line, he made every shot. It didn't make sense; he wasn't even trying.

He dribbled the ball back behind the white chalk line and paused there, resting it on his hip. He inhaled and exhaled the cool fall air rapidly, watching his foggy breath hang in the air and then fade away. Troy thought of how love was like that too.

One second it was strong and visible to the unaided eye. The next second, it evaporated into thin air. He guessed maybe with a little faith you could hold onto that love; even though you could no longer see it, maybe it was still there. You just had to feel around a little and when you found it again, hold on tight.

He was still processing that thought as he raised the ball and threw it through the hoop. When it fell to the ground, Troy wasn't there to catch it.

**-HSM-**

Troy lifted the welcome mat on his front porch and found the spare key hidden there. He let himself in as quietly as possible so as not to wake Sharpay. But she was already lying awake in the bedroom down the hall.

She was listening intently as Troy almost imperceptibly relocked the front door. She listened as he sighed softly and hung his jacket up. She listened as he padded across the living room and gathered her misplaced jacket from the couch; he hung that up as well.

And then she could only hear her own heart beating as she left the master suite and tip-toed down the hall.

She wanted to apologize but she was terrified Troy might still be angry, might not be ready to make-up or might not want to make-up at all.

When she reached the kitchen, his back was facing her as he stood at the sink picking pieces of glass out of it. She tightened the sash of her robe and crossed her arms. If she took another step she'd be in his peripheral vision for sure, which would thwart her plan to sneak behind him, wrap her arms around him and tell him how much she really loved him.

When he finished collecting the pieces of the casserole dish, Troy placed them on the counter and picked up the plates he'd threatened to break earlier. He put them back in the cupboard.

Then he turned to face the trash receptacle and saw Sharpay standing in the archway. Fresh tears glistened in her eyes as she met his. She gestured with her hand, something similar to a wave. She licked her lips, trying not to burst into tears when she spoke. She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, holding it in as best she could.

"I'm sorry," she finally spit out. Troy, who had been frozen halfway between the sink and his wife, was wrapped around her in one fluid movement. She pressed her hands on his chest, patting him as she tearfully repeated her apology.

"Shhh, it wasn't your fault. I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you. It's okay, Shar." She looked up at him in time to see tears welling in his eyes.

"Can you forgive me, Shar?" With a single hand, she pulled his face to hers and gave him her answer. The kiss was bittersweet as salty tears ran down their faces. When Troy pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers.

"Shar, I'm so sorry. I _can't_ believe what a jerk I was being." She smiled softly and put her hand on his cheek.

"_I_ can. I egged you on enough."

"Still, I went too far. I promise nothing like that will ever happen again." Her smile widened and they shared another kiss as the sun began to rise.

Troy and Sharpay spent another hour or so talking about their plans to work it out. It was close to 7 A.M. by the time they fell asleep.


End file.
